"Ten Little Niggers"

Harmless and funny or racist? We all remember the catchy melody and the controversy about insulting terms like "Negro". What was the purpose of this children's book for us in Europe and the U.S.? To promote colonialism, exploitation, or to serve as a means of education? Where does a thinking that downgrades Africans and Blacks come from? Are these questions outdated? Not at all: In an immigration society we cannot avoid to address such issues - in everyday life as well as in education.

Prof. Dr. Wulf Schmidt-Wulffen is Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Hanover, Germany.